Case Number 03553: Small Claims Court

LAST EXILE: FIRST MOVE (VOLUME 1)

The Charge

"You can just screw your stupid chivalry!" -- Lavi

The Case

[Note: This review is based on a test disc that differs from the upcoming
release in that it only contains two of its four episodes, and lacks subtitles
and special features to be included in the final version of the DVD.]

The latest entry in the popular "steampunk" subgenre of Japanese
animation (which also includes the Escaflowne series, as well as
Nadia: Secret of Blue Water and the upcoming Steamboy feature by
Akira's Katsuhiro Otomo), Last Exile gives us a quasi-Victorian
fantasy straight out of Jules Verne, in which vast steam-powered airships
dominate the skies, crewed by musket-wielding soldiers. Two nations in this
Industrial Age world, Anatore and Dusis, have declared war upon each other, and
far above the combatants, the mysterious Guild watches and directs the course of
events.

Into the midst of this fray tumble our young heroes, Claus and Lavi, vanship
(a small cargo aircraft) pilots who eke out a meager living as air couriers.
Claus and Lavi dream of someday reaching the Grand Stream, a powerful jet stream
separating Anatore and Dusis, and flying above the clouds, a feat their fathers
died trying to accomplish. For now, though, their biggest challenge is making
enough money to eat. When a routine letter delivery lands the pilots in the
middle of a fierce battle between the Anatore and Dusis fleets, Claus and Lavi
are drawn into the grandest adventure of their young lives.

I've been a fan of the steampunk genre ever since reading the seminal
steampunk novel, The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce
Sterling. It wasn't even the story itself that grabbed me, so much as the
brilliant premise -- an alternate-history collision of the Information Age and
the Victorian Age. There's something about this anachronistic, inherently
impossible joining of high-tech and low-tech that contrasts delightfully with
the chrome-and-circuitry of most futuristic visions.

Last Exile implements the steampunk sensibility beautifully. While
other anime series in this vein, such as Escaflowne and Sakura
Wars, have tended to veer towards the fantastical, the world of Last
Exile is firmly grounded in its historical influences, blending fragments of
Victorian England and pre-Weimar Germany, and recalling the great sea battles
between the European empires of the 18th and 19th centuries.

One thing holding this strange brew together is outstanding production
values, courtesy of Tokyo Babylon director Koichi Chigira and Studio
GONZO (Blue Submarine No. 6). Last Exile is GONZO's tenth
anniversary anime series, and it has pulled out all the stops for this one. The
look of the Last Exile -- provided by art director Hiromasa Ogura
(Ghost In The Shell) and production designers Mahiro Maeda
(Evangelion, the "Second Renaissance" episodes of The
Animatrix) is absolutely breathtaking; from the beautiful skyscapes to the
amazingly detailed airships and striking character designs (by Range Murata, who
also worked on Blue Submarine No. 6), this is easily one of the
best-looking anime titles of the year. My only quibble is that the
photorealistic CG and painterly cel animation are awkwardly combined at times,
giving some scenes an off-putting visual incongruity. But it's a minor flaw in
an otherwise fabulous canvas.

Of course, mediocre writing has brought down many a visually stunning anime
series. In this respect, Last Exile does not disappoint. While things get
off to a bit of a bewildering start in the first couple of episodes (Last
Exile is another one of those series that plops you into the thick of things
without comment and lets you figure out what's going on), the lead characters
are charming enough that I was willing to stick through the confusion. While
initially it's impossible to tell exactly who the combatants are and why they're
at war, what does come across is the sense of critical historical events
unfolding, an epic sweep that promises great things ahead.

I've always been fascinated -- and appalled -- by accounts of 17th and 18th
century battles -- the way the soldiers lined up and shot at each other in neat
rows, in the name of "civilized" warfare. The image of the slaughter
of human beings being turned into something so bizarrely organized and proper,
like a live-motion board game, underscores the insanity and pointlessness of war
in a way that modern warfare doesn't. Last Exile deftly taps into that
feeling, giving us military leaders blasting each other out of the sky while
blathering on about chivalry and nobility, while belowdecks the hapless grunts
merely pray that they'll survive the carnage. It's this antiwar theme that makes
Last Exile's neo-Victorian look more than just a stylistic affectation.
One gets the feeling, even from these initial episodes, that this series is
about something. It has the emotional and thematic depth that makes for a
great anime series.

Also worth noting is the music, which is outstanding throughout. From the
propulsive opening theme, "Cloud Age Symphony" by Shuntaro Okino, to
the lilting closing theme "Over the Sky" by Hitomi Ishiguro, and the
background music by Dolce Triade in between, the score is eclectic (melding
influences as disparate as African beats, Scottish bagpipes,and Russian folk)
and atmospheric, supporting the story without overwhelming or distracting from
it.

As might be expected from a top-flight release by Geneon (formerly Pioneer)
Entertainment, Last Exile: First Move offers a flawless transfer, free of
distortion or defects and beautifully capturing the sepia-tinged colors and
cloud-filled landscapes. This disc looks great. I wish I were as blown away by
the audio, however. While I can't complain about the lively Dolby Digital 2.0
stereo sound, which is clean and bright, I can't help but wonder how much more
exciting the soundscape would be, with its dynamic flight scenes, if this series
had been given a full 5.1 Surround treatment. What's there is quite adequate,
however.

Unfortunately, the test disc I received omitted all special features, but
the final release will offer a textless opening, the original Japanese opening,
a gallery of artwork, and an interview with production designer Mahiro Maeda.
The test disc also included an English language dub only (which features some
excellent vocal performances), but the final release will include the original
Japanese soundtrack and English subtitles.

While it's hard to say where the series is going to go from the two episodes
I've seen, in terms of story, artwork, voice acting, and music, it's all there.
I was completely captivated by Last Exile and look forward to continuing
the journey in future installments.